Animal-trap.



O. D. WRIGHT.

ANIMAL TRAP.

APPLICATION FILED 1326.20, 1906.

Patented Feb. 16, 1909.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEFIOE.

ORRIN D. WRIGHT, OF ONEIDA, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO ONEIDA COMMUNITY, LIMITED, OF ONEIDA, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ANIMAL-TRAP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

IPatented Feb. 16, 1909.

Application led December 20, 1906. Serial No. 348,784.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ORRIN D. WRIGHT,

. of Oneida, in the county of Madison, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements -in Animal-Traps, of

, which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, vis a full,

by the tripping of the trigger platform.

The general aim of all manufacturers of this class of devices is to reduce the number of parts and to otherwise simplify the general structure so as to increase its working efficiency and at the Sametime reduce the cost of production. Heretofore,'so far as I am aware, it has been customary to attach the chains to some part ofthe frame of the trap through the medium of `what might be termed a double swivel connection, that is the eye which received one member of the.

swivel has heretofore been made in a separate piece and rivetedor otherwise secured to the frame of the trap.'

One of my objects, therefore, is to 'provide an integral part of the trap with an eye` adapted to' receivean eye bolt and formv aj Vpart of a swivel connection between 'the chain and trap.

Inthe special form of trap which Ifhave herein illustrated and described, the'spring tongue for actuating the jaws 1s associated with a spring base having upturned, ends formed with: apertures in which the pintles of the jaws are journaled, one end of thespring tongue being reduced in Width aid passed through a transversely. elongat d opening in one end of the base, the outer extremity of such reduced end 'of the spring tongue beingI deflected upwardly an .provided with an eyein which is turna le an eye bolt forming with said eye, la swivel, the:

chain being attached-directly to the eye bolt. The specific obj ect., therefore, is to connect the chain tothe trap by a swivel, one part of which constitutes an integral part of thetrap for the purpose l.of reducing the number ofparts lmeans, as rivets -9-.

' having Other objects and uses relatingy to the specific structure of the trap will be brought out in the following description.

In the drawings,-Figure l is a top plan -of an animal trap. embodying the features of ig. 2' is a longitudinal sec. tional view taken on line 2 2, Fig. 1.. Fig.

my invention. I*

3 is a transverse sectional view of the saine.'

y This trap consists essentially of a main supporting frame -1-, apair of gripping jaws ,-2* both mounted upon the frame, andspringtongue also mounted upon the frame for automatically closing the jaws, a trigger 45- carrying a platform -5-, and a detent '-6- for locking one of the'jaxvs' in its openv position against the action of the jaw-retracting spring -3-.

The main supportingvframe consists essen- .tiallyof a spring bar -7- and a cross'bar -8- secured thereto by suitable fastening The spring bar -7-' preferably consists'of a comparatively thin strip of-v flat 4spring metal arched upwardly from its ends toward the center to Y afford a spring action, the ends of said bar being turned upwardly forming lears -,10- each of which is provided with a pair of apertures .-'-1l-,for receiving the pintles n*lf2/w on the opposite ends of-the jaws '-.-2-, said bar -7-'- being also provided at one end with a ltransverse elongated openirig or slotU-lfor the reception of one end ofthe spring tongue -3-.

' The jaws'-2 are arched upwardly from the ends toward the center land when closed meet in a plane substantially, coincident with the lonoitudinal center of the bar -7-, the ends or said jawshaving a slight spring action toward each other to permit them to be compressed between the ears -10- when inserting the pintles 12- into their respective openings or bearinofs -11.

The tongue 3 prefertbly consists of a comparatively thin flat strip of spring metal the greater portion of its length substantially the sani-e width as the frame or lbar -7-, one' end of the spring tongue Snresting upon the top face. of one end .of the bar 7F and is provided with an extension-14- of less width than the main .body of the tongue forming shoulders l5- the reduced 'extension 14- being vided with an upturned ear -1G having an eye -17- for receiving one end of an eye bolt -18- which together with the ear -16`- and eye. -17- forms a swivel connection between the chain as 19 and tongue -3-. When the reduced extension lllof the tongue -3 is passed through the slot -l3-, the shoulders l5- abut against the inner face. of the adjacent-ear -10- of the frame bar -7 to prevent endwise movement of the spring tongue in one direction while the upturned ear 16- serves to limitvthe endwise movement of the tongue in the opposite direction thereby retaining the tongue in operative position.

The inner end of the eye bolt -18- is provided with a head 20 to prevent withdrawal of the eye bolt -18- from the eye -17- and at the same time permitting said eye bolt to turn upon its axis in said aperture -l7'. This arrangement positions the belr' slightly removed from the trap.

.The intermediate portion of the spring tongue -B--extends downwardly substantially tangential to the are of curvature of the bar -7- so as to afford ample spring action for its free end, which latter is provided with an oval opening -2ll:t'or receiving the adjacent ends of jaws Q and is also of sufiicient width to receive the adjacent ear -l()M oi. the bar 7 when the spring is depressed in the act of'opening the jaws. The transverse width of the opening ---21- is substantially equal to the transverse width of the jaws -2- at the point of engagement with the spring of said jaws when the latter are closed, and in order that the spring may still exert a pressure upon the jaws to hold them in their closed position when the spring is released, l provide the outer' edge of each of the jaws with alining sharp angular shoulders #M22-- which also form limiting stops for the spi-inc; and cause a wedging action of the spri with the outer edges of the jaws lo held the meetingedges of said jaws together with greater firmness, thereby avoiding any lost motion which might assist the animal in escaping from the trap.

A portion of the cross bar --8- at. one side of the bar -7- is bent in the 'form of a loop -24- as best seen in Figs. l and 3, the arched portion of which is provided with opposite slots -Z5-- leaving a central integral pintle orbar 2G- at the ape'x of the loop upon which is pivoted one end of the trigger -4- carrying the platform -5-, said trigger having its rear end recessed at 27 for receiving one end of the delenf -6-, the outer end of said detent being pivoted upon a pintle 28.- forming a n integral part of an upturned ear 29- of the adjacent end of the cross bar -8.

Reverting'nowto the opening 2l-. in the springtongue -`3--, it may be stated vment of the tongue so that the latter is held positively in operative position without extra securing means.

In setting the jaws thefree end of the' spring -3 is depressed whereupon the jaws -2- are opened untilY one of them is brought below a direct linebetween the pintles -26- and -QSaffafter which the detent .6- is swung upon its pintle -fZSW and its free end engaged in the recess *27- to lock the jaws against the action of the spring and at the same time hold ,the platform in its operative position, the operation i ot' the platformfand trigger to release the jaws being well understood.

What l claim is:

An animal trap comprising a supporting frame consisting of a spring bar and a cross bar secured together, said spring bar having a vertically extending apertured ear at each" end thercof,.onc oi said ears having its lower terminus formed with a transversely extending slot, a pair of arch-shaped gripf ping jaws cach provided with a pair of pintles at their ends, said pintles mounted in the apertures of said ears, each of said jaws ,il'lu'thern'iorc provided'with a laterally exlendingshonlder at the outer edge thereof, said shoulder on each jaw nearer one end thereof than the other end, a spring tongue having one end projecting through said slot and its other endprovided with an enlarged opening through which extend said jaws, said spring tongue'having its central portion slightly arched, said tongue constituting means when the jaws are released to move the jaws toward i .ch other, said cross bar provided near one end with an arch-shaped portion torn'led with opposit-ely disposed slots thereby providing a pintle, said cross bar furthermore having at one cir" an upwardly extending apertnred ear, a platform arranged over saidsjn'ing tongue, a trigger carrying said p'lat'forn'i and pivotally mounted on said pintle, said triggei'f provided with a recess and bearing lupon said spring tongue, a vdetent pivotally connected to the apcrtured ear of said cross bar and adapted to engage in said reces 't'or locking one of the jaws and said spring tongnein an inoperative position, said detent adapted to be released when pressure is applied to said platform whereby said spring tongue Will Close the jaws, said spring longue formed with :in upwardly apertured enr, :i headed eye bolt extending through the aperture of the eur of the tongue whereby said bolt is SWiYeIly connected to said ein', and a flexible u'lemhei :it'nehed lo The eye of said holt.

In Witnessl whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 10th clay of December 1906.

ORRN D. VRIGHT.

lVitnesses z E. K. HERRIQK, S; S. ELDRIDGE. 

